Exam 1: Project - Greece Flashcards
Major Gods and Goddesses
- Zeus
- Hera
- Poseidon
- Demeter
- Ares
Zeus
- god of the sky
- most powerful
- tricked Hera into marriage
- brother of Poseidon and Hades
- His weapon is a thunderbolt (which he throws at those who displease him)
- He has control over weather: can cause great darkness or make it rain
Hera
- Goddess of marriage, mothers, families
- wife of Zeus
- mother of Ares
- jealous of her husband’s affairs
- rebelled against her husband: causing him to hang her by gold chains overnight
Poseidon
- god of the sea
- 2nd most powerful
- brother of Zeus and Hades
- weapon: trident
- feelings for Demeter
Demeter
- goddess of agriculture/ grain
- also presides over cycle of life/ death
- her daughter got kidnapped by Hades: every year for 4 months Demeter mourns and does not sure her powers (winter) when she returns spring begins
Ares
- god of war/ battle
- son of Zeus and Hera
- Zeus doesn’t like him
- He fell in love with Aphrodite and got her pregnant humiliating them both: they later had 8 kids together
Relationship of Humans to Gods
- gods have full power, revered by man, have power to bless or curse humans
- mortals who descendants of gods were watched and sometimes elevated to heroes or become gods
- theology: signers and lyre players descend form the Muses, kings are from the line of Zeus
- those w/o divine lineage = less likely to be elevated, often exploited, still for most part watched over
Nature of gods
- ruled with human desires (loved, fought, jealousy)
- give gifts: honor a king, Prometheus stole fire
- as long as Greeks didn’t compete w/ gods or overstep their bounds = protected
Creation Myth
- Beginning: Chaos
- from Chaos came Erebus (darkness), night and love
- from love came light, then Gaea (Earth) who had Uranus (Sky) her eventual husband
- Uranus and Gaea had the 12 Titans
- Cronus (youngest Titan) overthrew Uranus and was overthrown by his children (Zeus, other 12 Olympians)
- Zeus forced Atlas (Titan) to hold up sky (Uranus) from Earth (Gaea)
Creation of Humans
- gods created moral humans for their amusement and entertainment
- Prometheus (Titan in Zeus’s favor) liked humans so stole reason from Athena, fire from Hephaestus and gave them to humans as well as his own knowledge
- Greeks made myths to explain natural phenomena and give answers to how and why they were alive
Works and Days
- poem based heavily around culture at time
- agriculture:
- emphasis on hard, honest work, and self reliance
- very important
- slaves
Greek Gods mentioned (common among literary writers for day) - Zeus
- Demeter
Theogony
- Hesoid: poor farmer felt he should write theogony b/c muses told him to which gave poetic voice a duty thought to be a king’s duty
- poem about creation
- focus on gods and goddesses, specifically on how Zeus came to be king over all
The Creation (vs.)
Greeks: Gaia gave birth to gods that control different elements of universe, to the earth, and to different creatures on earth. Gaia and Ouranos are parents of all things
Judeo/ Christianity: God the Father, w/ help from His Son, created heavens, the earth, people, planets over 6 days and rested the 7th
Concept of God
Christian: God is the Father of all people. He blesses His children that follow his commandments. People have a great love and respect for God. They rely on Him for guidance and support
Both: God and the Greek gods/ goddesses are all powerful, immortals that control the elements of the universe. People respect/ worship them and look to them for help
Greek: There are multiple gods and goddesses with different abilities. Zeus the ruler of all. Mortals fear the gods/ goddesses and ask them for help The gods and goddesses make deals with each other and mortals. Gods and goddesses fight with one another and trick others into getting what they want.
